Devotee
by AmberAllyCat
Summary: In which Naruto retired from the ANBU to be a regular Acadamy student.


**A/N: A little something that appeared to me and wanted to be wrote. Please R &R**

 **I don't own Naruto so - meh. Could be seen as light au although it mostly follows canon I have changed small things. Now on with thee**

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 **Devotee**

He was against drafting the boy in the beginning. Unfortunately it was the only viable option to take, the one which would cause less harm. Even then no-one but consulted parties could know about it as the boy was watched like a vengeful hawk by the civilians trying to keep him dumb. Even his mask changed every month. It was just his luck that Naruto was a loyal ANBU and a quick learner there was only one boy he had seen that could compare, Uchiha Itachi – It made sense to put them as a team when Uchiha had joined. He could still remember the small child asking if this will help the village. If he will be helping. It made him sick each time he sent either boy on any mission, the way those eyes would glistened when the small ANBU returned and how the red swirl started replacing any emotion the other showed.

"Did I do good Ojichan?" The small boy would whisper after every mission. The Hokage would hold him close and take him out for Raman the raven never came to him. After the first year Uchiha was in ANBU he noticed his little blond stop coming to him but instead take solace in his captain. "I made a friend Ojichan." Naruto told him.

Naruto was seven when Sarutobi forcibly retired him from ANBU. Now that the Uchiha clan didn't have the power to force his hand ; he no longer had only the three options, He had made himself a forth, sometimes he feared he had been to late – then he would see the smiling face running from its most recent prank. That smile never did reach Narutos eyes but the Hokage could pretend, he could pretend that he did right by Minitos son.

Naruto had made it into the Academy, he had managed to cultivate his happy-go-lucky persona within a year after leaving ANBU, and he was the perfect prankster. He made people laugh and he didn't cause any harm to do so. 'I AM THE FUTURE HOKAGA!' He would yell down the street. This was the village he wanted to protect; the one which his tenant had almost obliterated - oh how he loved rubbing the fox's face in it. But first he had to pass the exam, Naruto knew he could but he honestly did have trouble producing a bunshin. During his time in ANBU he hadn't had to use one, he had been known for his speed and accuracy but the Kunie he had been using was heavier than the Academy tools which now threw off his aim beside he wanted to be with people his age, he wanted to make friends: friends that wouldn't be forced to leave him.

"Don't hate him Sasuke." Naruto was sent flying across the field.

"You don't know anything Deadlast!" The last Uchiha yelled.

Naruto wished he could yell about how he knew more than Sasuke ever would. But that was classified information.

"Don't give him power over you Baka!" Naruto let the tears escape, he hadn't cried for his friend yet. He hated him , hated him for what he did to his brother, for leaving, for not even saying good bye. "Don't give him the satisfaction – don't prove him right!"

Sasuke stared at the blond who had followed him home yet again, the blond had appeared by the lake at least once every second month since his brother left three years ago. The blond was crying. It made Sasuke mad so he hit him again. "You don't get to tell me what to do Dobe!" They two were fighting , Sasuke doesn't remember the blond ever being able to keep up with him before, how did the blond get this good. Sasuke didn't realise when he stopped thinking and just started fighting. It calmed him and he didn't realise it. He noticed the small smirk appear on Narutos bloodied face, he noticed the lack of rage in the punches and the fluidity in which Naruto blocked each one, he noticed his stamina slowly dropped as the sun started setting, he could hear the wheezing laugh as Naruto breathed through the broken nose. That was when he fell onto the grass and cried hysterically with the blond. They didn't' say anything as they lay there.

Sasuke still didn't talk to Naruto or anyone, he didn't yell at Naruto to leave either, sometimes when he was mad or sad or both they would fight. Naruto was somehow better than him at tiajitsu and every now and then he could almost swear he was sparing with his brother but that was impossible, no Uchiha would teach the blond orphan any kind of tiajitsu so he would ignore it. He didn't think about how Naruto couldn't fight at the academy or how even when they did spar in front of everyone Sasuke always won. Naruto would smile as he yelled Baka at him and he would reply with a glare and 'dobe'.

It had been five years since the Famous Uchiha massacre and it was Graduation day. Sasuke passed with flying colours he didn't notice that Naruto disappeared.

Naruto accepted the rules; Hokage must be testing him, checking that his skills weren't rusty before giving him his head band. He didn't think that the scroll of seals was real, why would anyone ask Naruto to steal the real forbidden scroll. When he looked in it and chose a technique to master for his exam he hadn't known that this was not just a simple prop for the exam. He chose the Kaga Bunshine. For all his year in the ANBU Naruto still always thought the best of people. How could he have known Mizuki despised him?

"I didn't think you would be able to pull it off. Who knew the evil deadlast would be able to actually do it." Mizuki taunted as he entered the clearing. Naruto knew something was wrong immediately.

"What are you talking about. This is a test isn't it?" Naruto checked the trees and, realising only the two of them were there, slid into his fighting stance.

"Give me the scroll Monster, don't make me ask twice. I am a actual Shanobi – you don't stand a chance deadlast." Mizukis eyes seemed to grow wild.

Iruka appeared as Naruto and his clones leapt at traitor, the fight would have been over sooner had Mikuzi not been as ruthless as he was, Naruto didn't want to kill him only incapacitate him. Mikuzi threw a blade which ended up in Irukas back as he jumped out to shield it from Naruto. Naruto caught his favourite Sensie and growled. "Stay down Iruka , you did good." Iruka pressed his hand to his wound and watched as the kaga bushin multiplied till all he could see was a swirling mass of orange. When he looked again Mizuka had a broken nose, leg, arm, and was tied up hog style with a slash on his head band. He promoted Naruto on the spot as he saw ANBU arrive.

Naruto bowed to the Hokage and apologized for being taken by Mizukis lies and offered to return to the Academy to earn his genin status using the real exam. "Naruto, you passed the hardest exam you could have been given. You have earned your Genin title and I will not be taking that away from you." Naruto had looked at him with tears in his eyes and yelled Ojichan as he tackled the Hokage.

Sasuke sat in the class waiting for his new Sensei with his new team mates. He watched as the deadlast set up a chalk trap and was yelled at by the annoying pink one. His eye twitched as the duster hit Hatake Kakashi directly on his head.

Only after the team was officially passed by shearing their lunch Sasuke realized that Naruto had actually failed the exam but had showed up the next day having passed. "Dobe. How did you pass the Genin exam?" They were pulling out weeds again and Sakura was still staring at him.

Naruto stood up and held the classic good guy pose and with a blinding smile yelled , "Classified!" Sakura hit him on the head. Sasuke would have face palmed but he was an Uchiha and Uchihas didn't do that; he did however glare at his team mate for the rest of the day.

Sakura watched as Her team mate fought once again. Both of their skills were way above hers. She was the best in her class but she was from a civilian family meaning she only learnt what was taught at the academy, she didn't have access to any private training ground and as the communal ones were only for genin students and above or someone accompanied by such she had only been able to train using the academy ones. How Naruto had managed to train enough to match Sasuke was surprising, it was well known that Clan children had the advantage and were generally better fighters as fresh genin. Sakura longed to ask Naruto where he had trained as a academy student but as he asked her on a date he eye twitched and she slammed her fist straight into his nose. She left knowing that no matter how strong Naruto was she will always be able to send him flying when he asked her on a date.

It was during the mislabeled Wave mission when Kakashi found out. He had almost lost his whole team. Kakashi had been proud when his team had devised a clever plan and saved him from the Demon of the mist. He had thought he had been teaching them good skills as he showed them the tree walking. He didn't think the ninja would show up again he had hoped beyond reason that the only people his team would face were simple gang members. Kakashi disappointed himself when he didn't know that the boy with the mirrors knew Naruto. He couldn't have thanked the bridge builder enough as he ushered his shaken team into the house. He almost forgot to breathe as he looked at the needles sticking out Sasuke and the tares in Narutos jumper.

He did forget to breathe when he spotted the ANBU tattoo faded into Naruto's arm. That night as he watched a fully healed Naruto make supper and change a still unconscious Sasukes bandages he thought of the small blond haired ANBU in Team Ro; the one that didn't only listen to him but took initiative and exceled. The one who was inseparable from the young Uchiha heir and who didn't keep his own mask for more than a months. As Kakashi watched the blond help finish the bridge and bring the small boy out of his shell he remembered a quick yellow red flash as another enemy fell. How had he not noticed his Sensei's son fighting alongside him. Sakura brought his attention to Sasukes waking.

Sasuke was silent as he travelled next to Naruto. He had awoken his Sharingan. He thought Naruto was going to be killed and had awoken the Sharingan to save him. He had passed out when but Naruto had somehow survived and beat the person they had been fighting. How was the deadlast still stronger than him. He pushed himself to go faster, Naruto kept up. It turned into a race and Kakashi hung back watching the childish antics. The two of them got to Konoha three hours before Kakashi and sakura, they were at the gate panting, as usual Sasuke was glaring at Naruto.

"Go get a salve for your wounds and met us at the hokages for a mission report." Kakashi directed this at mostly Sasuke as he was sure the scabs would have reopened but said nothing as Naruto said he would race him to the hospital. By the time Kakashi had ambled his way to the Hokage he could hear the two of them waiting at the door. Naruto was yelling that Sasuke cheated by tripping him and Sasuke was answering in the iconic Uchiha way, with a Hn. Sakura hit Naruto and started yelling about how one shouldn't just run off in the middle of a forest and how dare he accuse the great Sasuke of cheating just because a deadlast like him was a sore loser.

The hokage had received a written mission report via crow a week before the team had arrived and had gone deathly pale. He knew if any other genin team had ended up on that mission they would be dead. It was just his luck that the genin team he had sent included two retired ANBU and clan Heir, the fact that they had protected and brought back a uninjured Sakura was a blessing. However as the team entered he knew something was wrong, Kakashi hadn't put everything in the written report. The last Uchiha was challenging Naruto and Kakashi was more distracted than normal. The team wasn't acting like a team which would have had to work together to complete this mission.

"Mission report." Requested the Hokage , Kakashi sighed and started from the beginning.

"One the way to wave we encountered and defeated the Demon Brothers from Kirigakure, after which only Naruto received an injury which was of no danger to the mission. The second encounter was with the Demon of the hidden mist who was defeated by a Hunter nin who we later found out was an impostor and with Momochi Zabuza, I was incapacitated for a week and Team seven began additional training. I once again faced Momochi Zabuza on the bridge while Sakura protected the client and Sasuke was isolated in the know known Yuki Hakus Ice mirrors , Naruto entered the Ice mirrors and between the two of them the ice was shattered, Uchiha Sasuke gained his Sharengin and Haku sacrificed himself to save Momochi Zabuza from a killing blow. In a fantastic turn of events the demon of the hidden mist turned on his client killing Gato and all his men. We stayed and protected the client from any further disruptions during his bridge building. There were no further incidents returning to Konoha." Kakashi relayed. The hokage nodded at the retelling and ordered a full mission report to be written up, Kakashi was asked to stay behind as the Genin Left to get rest.

"Something is one your mind Hatake." Observed Sarutobi.

Kakashi took out his book while explaining that Naruto had tapped into Kyubis chakra which he dispelled when he recognized Yuki Haku. "I see from your lack of response that you were aware he could do so and neglected to tell me." There was a sigh from the hokages desk, "You also neglected to tell me that he had retired from the ANBU." Kakashi could feel the glare cutting into him. "He was on Team Ro." He stated.

" Hai. I am surprised it took you this long, what gave it away?" Sarutobi was leaning back in his chair, eyes heavy and shadowed.

"I saw his tattoo. Which bring me to my next point. How did I not know." Kakashi was looking at the Hokage over his beloved book. All the signs had been there he just hadn't connected them.

"You were a different man in the ANBU. You didn't want to believe what your mind was telling you so you ignored it." An old man sat behind the desk an old man weighed under a heavy choice.

Kakashi remembered the small Anbu dragging Uchiha corpse after corpse for disposal, "He was good."

The Hokage nodded, "He was one of the best."

Kakashi looked out the window at the Blond dragging Sasuke to go get Raman, "What happened?"

"He wanted friends." A smile lit up the Hokages face as he joined Kakashi's musings.

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A/n : Let me know if you love it, hate it, want me to jump off a cliff exc. I love the hearing of peoples. was thinking of making it a two shot let me know if anyone is keen to read more.


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